Summer Camp Recap: Backyard Art

By Carolyn Carlins, Facilitator, Phipps Science Education and Research

Summer Camp Recap is our weekly seasonal segment featuring our summer camp programs. This is the place for camp parents to find pictures of their campers in action and see the fun things we did all week. It’s also a great place for educators to pick up craft, story and lesson ideas for their own early childhood programs.

This past week of camp was a fun mix of art and science for our 4 and 6 year-old campers. We planted, painted, and played all while learning about the many ways artists can use reclaimed, recycled, and collected items in the environment for inspiration. 

Campers incorporated natural materials into their paintings, notebooks, and even a nature loom, but the creativity did not end there! We also learned about the importance of recycling and reusing by making beautiful art out of repurposed materials. 

Throughout the week our seedling scientists grew grass heads and teddy bear sunflowers to spread color and attract pollinators to everyone’s backyard. 

Finally, we learned about the art of storytelling by exploring the conservatory’s leafy characters in the Tropical Forest Congo and the Desert Room. Hope everyone keeps their creativity flowing all summer!

Art in your own backyard:
Do you have dried out markers at home? Don’t throw them out yet! Collect different colors and stick them in cups of water overnight to allow the color to leak out. The more markers per cup, the deeper the colors will be. Blend similar shades to create an even more vibrant hue, or test what happens when you mix different primary colors.  When the color is right, dip your paintbrush in the water or use the markers again for beautiful results!

Select photos © Paul g. Wiegman